5 inch gauge LNER K1 2-6-0 "MacCailin Mor"

In 1964 Don Young started work on a design for a two cylinder Mogul, based on Gresley's K1/1 "MacCailin Mor", itself derived from the three cylinder V4. Never intended to be published, he drew it up for his own amusement, building the engine you see here which, in part-finished form, first took to the track in 1969.

The engine proved to be a fine performer and, inevitably, Don was asked to provide drawings for others. To his embarrassment several locomotives were completed by other builders whilst his original prototype languished, intended to be completed "as a retirement project".

Sadly - but perhaps unsurprisingly given the immense number of other irons he had in the fire - his own engine was never finished. It's recently come to us from a large collection of traction engines and locomotives, parts of a retirement "down-sizing" project.

We'd put the locomotive at around 80% complete - it runs on air and has, evidently, been steamed a few times in the distant past. Boiler is silver soldered with nutted and calked stays - on hydraulic test it proved structurally sound at twice working pressure, showing only a few stays beading.

There are a set of erected tender frames - when steamed back in the day it ran with a borrowed Southern Railway tender.

Quite a rare model - according to Young his drawings, though detailed, were not up to his usual standard, which may have put potential builders off. We've had a couple in the past, including this one which we sold in April 2022.

Coming up to the 60th anniversary of its birth next year, this one really needs somebody who can get it finished and back out on the track, where it belongs!

Drawings and castings for the design are available from Reeves 2000.